It's hard to disagree with Apple's contention that "Michael Corleone says hello" was a flaw in the script. After all, there's just no way that even Roth was clever enough to have bet his life on a split-second-timed plot to turn Frankie against Michael. Why would he even try? Roth lured Michael to Havana because, as the most powerful gringo in Cuba, Roth was confident that he could use his government connections to have Michael assassinated. Why, therefore, would Roth risk everything to set Michael up for a Senate hearing, months in the future, when in fact Michael would be long dead by the time the hearings convened?

The simplest explanation for "Michael Corleone says hello" is one that has been uncovered by Godfather scholars in an interview with Danny Aiello, who played Tony Rosato. Aiello admits he ad-libbed the famous line, and Francis Coppola, for some reason (probably inadvertence--the flaw Apple noted), permitted the ad-lib to remain in the film, to the eternal bafflement of Godfather fans. But it’s also possible that Coppola, the most careful of directors, allowed it to remain because it fit the plot, even though the Rosatos intended to kill Frankie all along:

“Michael Corleone says hello” was intended not for Frankie—but for Richie, the bartender, whose ginmill was being used to set up Frankie.

It’s obvious that Richie is a “civilian,” not a Made Man, and he’s nervous as hell about his bar being used for a murder (“Carmine, NO, not HERE!” he screams at Tony’s brother (played by Carmine Caridi) after the cop enters and Carmine draws his gun). The Rosatos know that Richie might be squeezed by the cops investigating Frankie’s murder. Richie would be too fearful of the Rosatos to identify them as the killers. Still, as a civilian, Richie is not bound by the code of omerta. So they hand Richie something he can give the cops so that Richie can get off the hook: “The murderers said, ‘Michael Corleone says hello.’ ” That line would set the police after Michael, and would be picked up by the press-- another nail in the coffin of Michael Corleone’s “legitimacy.” Clever Roth!

As for "Roth played this one beautifully":

Roth screwed up several times: the Tahoe shooting that failed to kill Michael; the Rosatos' failed attempt to kill Frankie; Michael figuring out Roth's intention (and therefore escaping Cuba alive while Roth had a stroke). But Roth was nothing if not resilient: the guy had nine lives. Faced with seeming disaster--all his failures, Michael's survival, etc.--Roth recouped in drawing on his ally, Questadt, to put Michael in the perjury trap by arranging for Frankie's survival to be kept secret. Brilliant! Too bad for Roth that Michael was even more resilient by reaching for Frankie's brother. [/qb][/QUOTE]